A drug user who snatched a five-year-old girl from a Birmingham street has been convicted of false imprisonment with intent to commit sexual assault, sexual assault and assault. Mohammed Abdulraziq, 32, from Sudan, was found guilty by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court after the child was rescued from his bedsit where both were found partially clothed.
The incident unfolded on March 30 when Abdulraziq grabbed the girl while she was playing and her mother was talking to a friend in Winson Green. When the mother realised her daughter had vanished, she searched nearby before hearing crying from a house. The mother attempted to break a window to reach her child, while a friend partially climbed through to see Abdulraziq and the girl standing together with their clothing removed.
Two men forced the door open and restrained Abdulraziq until police arrived. The child told her mother afterwards: "The stranger hurt me, mummy."
Court proceedings and sentencing
Judge Kerry Maylin ordered a dangerousness assessment for Abdulraziq, which could result in a life or extended sentence. Sentencing was adjourned until December 9, with the judge telling the defendant: "A long custodial sentence is, I'm afraid, inevitable."
The jury of six men and six women found Abdulraziq guilty by a majority of 11-1 on the false imprisonment and sexual assault charges, and unanimously on the assault charge. During the trial, Abdulraziq claimed through an interpreter that the child had entered his property to use the toilet and asked for help putting her shorts back on.
Criminal history and immigration status
Abdulraziq was previously jailed for 21 months in September 2023 for threatening a GP with a knife. He also faces separate charges for assault and property damage from an incident five days before he abducted the girl.
The defendant had been living in the UK for ten years and had permission to stay, but the Home Office is now attempting to revoke that permission following his conviction. A Home Office spokesman said: "When foreign nationals commit crimes in this country, we do everything we can to deport them."
The court heard Abdulraziq had consumed alcohol and synthetic drugs on the day of the incident. He had been living in the shared accommodation for less than two months when the attack occurred.
Sources used: "Daily Mail", "Bristol Post", "Daily Star" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
